berkelium

[ ber-kee-lee-uhm ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a transuranic element. : Bk; : 97; : 249 (?).

berkelium

/ bɜːˈkiːlɪəm; ˈbɜːklɪəm /

noun

1. a metallic transuranic element produced by bombardment of americium. Symbol: Bk; atomic no: 97; half-life of most stable isotope, ²⁴⁷Bk: 1400 years; valency: 3 or 4; relative density: 14 (est)

berkelium

/ bər-kē′lē-əm,bûrk′lē-əm /

1. A synthetic, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is produced from americium, curium, or plutonium. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of about 1,400 years. Atomic number 97; melting point 986°C; valence 3, 4.
2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of berkelium¹

1945–50; named after Berkeley, California, where it was discovered; -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of berkelium¹

C20: named after Berkeley ¹, where it was discovered

Example Sentences

Take a few milligrams of berkelium, a rare radioactive metal that can be made only in specialized nuclear reactors.

From Nature

Over the course of 30 years, his inventions contributed to the discovery of americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, lawrencium, rutherfordium, dubnium and seaborgium.

From New York Times

It is evident in entries like francium, germanium, scandium, polonium, europium, californium, berkelium and americium.

From New York Times

Naturally there are berkelium, dubnium and darmstadtium, as well as livermorium - named after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that, among other things, ensures that the US nuclear stockpile does not decay too quickly.

From BBC

“We had to team up with the only place on the planet where berkelium can be produced and isolated in significant quantities,” Düllmann says.

From Nature